Continuance
by fokz
Summary: Is there an alternate timeline where Arcadia Bay AND all of its inhabitants are safe and sound? Read to find out.
1. Stasis

**Stasis**

"Just wait… It'll come to you eventually."

"I have no idea what I'm doing, Max."

Max Caulfield sighed and laid back on the grass. She looked up at the trees, just starting to show signs of autumn, and took a deep breath. "It's just a picture, Chloe," she said endearingly.

Chloe turned around and set the camera down carefully. "But I want to take _good_ pictures, Max. Like you."

"Please, I just… I get lucky, I guess."

"Nah girl," she poked her in the side, making her jump. "You got hella skills."

Max laughed, "I guess I do."

Chloe lied down beside her. The two of them gazed up into the sky at the clouds.

"They're so… poofy."

"Max, they're clouds."

A moment of silence.

"Poof, poof…"

They both broke out into laughter.

"You're such a weird person, Maxine."

"Don't call me that!" she fake pouted.

"Correction, you're _my_ weird person."

They both laughed and Max scooted a little closer to Chloe. The sun disappeared behind a cloud and the sky darkened. Chloe got up and shivered. "Jesus, it's cold."

The wind picked up pace. The once passive and peaceful breeze to turn into a chilling gust. Rain started falling. Max sprang up and quickly grabbed the camera, shoving it into her bag, "Are you cereal right now? The forecast said _no_ rain."

"Cereal?"

"Shut up and hold this, dork."

"I'm not the dork, you're the dork."

"You're at least two times the dork."

"Well, I _am_ taller than you," she smirked.

"CAN YOU JUST HOLD THIS PLEASE," Max half laughed, half shouted.

The pair of them retreated into the school building, now soaked in rain. Max was shivering from head to toe, clutching the camera bag in an attempt to shield the precious cargo from harm. Chloe sat herself down in one of the chairs outside the main office.

"Wow, it's really coming down out there," Max said, looking out the glass doors. The rain was now a torrential downpour and the trees were shaking violently.

 _This is weird… this is the same kind of weather as -_

"Max? Max why did you kill me," Chloe asked, suddenly hysterical. "Why did you betray me!"

Max jumped at the sudden question. The harshness in Chloe's voice threw her off. She suddenly felt scared for really no reason.

Chloe stood up out of her chair, approaching Max menacingly, fists balled.

"You told me to, Chloe!" Max shouted, backing up. "I'm so, so sorry, I-I"

"You were just waiting to get rid of me, weren't you? That's why you left all those years ago!" Chloe screamed. She grabbed Max's shoulders and shook her.

Tears were streaming down Max's face. "No! I swear! What is even going on, I-"

"Max!" A deep voice called, filled with sophistication and knowledge. "I'm still waiting on that photo entry," Mr. Jefferson smiled at her from the other side of the hallway, holding up a syringe and flicking the needle. "After all, you are my prized student."

"Max! Answer me!" Chloe screamed, shaking her more.

"Answer her, Max!"

"Max!"

Max sat up with a jolt, tears still streaming freely. Another yell came from the doorway of her dorm followed by muffled footsteps.

"Max! Wake up! Are you okay?" Kate Marsh was shaking her by the shoulders. "You were crying… I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Oh, Kate. I-I'm just. I had a bad dream."

"Must have been one heck of a bad dream, Max. I'm here if you ever want to talk about it."

"Okay, thanks Kate."

"Oh, that reminds me, we're going to be late to class. We have a new prof and I don't want to be in her bad books already. You'd better get ready, I'll see you in class, okay?" And with that, she fled the room, letting the door close behind her.

 _What just happened? I dreamt I was with Chloe… and then… and then it was over? I mean, I've been having nightmares about Chloe for a little while, but nothing like this… This is weird. It felt so real. Could it have been? Well, Chloe wouldn't yell at me like that. At least, I hope she wouldn't. And Mr. Jefferson wouldn't have been there. Hell, anything could be possible now, but I went back in time. I fixed everything! No storm came to Arcadia Bay, and Chloe was shot by Nathan Prescott, I know that for a fact. I went to her funeral… Definitely just a dream, Max._

Max slid out of bed and gazed at herself in the mirror. There were heavy bags under her eyes, which were puffy from the nightmare. I guess you just can't get over losing a loved one that easily. She walked over to her closet and got dressed.

 _No time for a shower, I need to get to class._

She grabbed her satchel and her camera and left.

The air outside was cool, and the trees were showing the first signs of autumn.

 _That's… familiar…_

"Hey, Max!" a voice called to her. She turned around and was met by Warren Graham. "Max, I was looking for you."

"Shouldn't you be in class, Warren?" she crossed her arms.

"Shouldn't _you_?"

"Touché," she admitted. "I'm running a little late. Something held me up. Sorry, Warren, but I really have to get to class. I have a new prof, gotta make a good first impression."

"Oh, well I'll catch you later, okay? I'll call you! This is just really, really-"

"I'm actually really sorry Warren, I just have to go. I'll call you if you don't call me, alright?" She gave him a weak smile.

 _I'm pathetic. Warren deserves a better friend than I. God, I'm such a loser._

Max gingerly opened the door to her classroom, the same one that Mark Jefferson used to teach in. The memories she had of that man will never let her rest. Sometimes she can't stop thinking about the way he looked at her. The way he saw her as nothing more than one of his prized _subjects._ But then again, who else would know that Max was captured by Mr. Jefferson? After all, as far as people in this time were concerned, that had never happened.

A dark skinned woman with short hair turned to face the door from where she was standing, clipboard in hand. She vaguely reminded Max of Mrs. Grant.

"Ah, and this would be…"

"Max. Max Caulfield."

"Ah yes, Maxine Caulfield."

" _Max_ Caulfield. I'm sorry I'm late."

"Oh, It's no big deal. Mondays are always a little hectic, right?" she chuckled. Max could already tell that this professor was going to be a straight upgrade from Mr. Jefferson. Although she wasn't famous, anyone who _doesn't_ abduct young women and photograph them after drugging them was a straight upgrade from someone who does.

She walked over to her usual spot in the classroom and was relieved that nobody was sitting there. All of her usual classmates were present, even Victoria, whom, as only Max would recall, should be dead.

"So, the hippie lives!" Victoria joked."How are you doing?"

Max rolled her eyes. "I'm doing fine, Victoria. To be honest, it's kind of weird when you're… _nice_ to me." She pulled the chair out and sat.

"Look, I'm really sorry about all that shit I said to you… or anybody, for that matter," Victoria spoke softly. "I guess I'm just a huge asshole to people."

"You're not and it's okay. I'm just glad you're being nice now," Max laughed. "It's great that-"

"Maxine?"

"What?"

The new professor, Ms. Rye, was staring directly at her.

"Do you care to answer?"

"Answer… what?"

"I'm s-sorry. I didn't hear the question."

"Is that where you're going to sit?" Ms. Rye asked, politely, yet obviously slightly upset about being ignored.

"Oh, yes, sorry Ms. Rye. I didn't mean to ignore you. Also, I go by Max."

"Sorry, Ms. Rye. I was distracting her," Victoria spoke up.

Ms. Rye gave Victoria a strange look. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, _Max_. I'm horrible with names, so I'm sorry if I botch yours a couple of times before I get it."

 _Maxine to Max isn't that hard of a transition…_

Max pulled out her journal and all of her class supplies. She set her camera on the desk, careful not to place it in any perilous positions, and set her retro pencil case next to it.

The wind caused the trees to dance, drawing Max's attention to the outside world. The lecture that Ms. Rye had started was already a part of the background, melting away like a leaf in the wind.

 _Is… Is Chloe alive somewhere? Is there some sort of alternate reality where she's alive and Arcadia Bay is safe?_

This question was daunting and Max had thought about it before. If there was some time, some decision somewhere that Max could make differently that ended up with Chloe being alive and Arcadia Bay being safe, Max would take the option any day, but no such option was available. She'd wasted countless nights of sleep going over and over in her head, _could I have done something differently? Is there anything I could've done to save everyone?_

Yet, time and time again, she was met with the grim fact that fate is not to be messed with. Destiny will always find its way.

One of the nice things about being in school again was that Kate was no longer her gloomy self. Apparently, she didn't go into super emo mode after that video of her was posted, instead she used it as an inspiration. A reason to be better and happier than ever before, to prove to everybody that she was not what the video depicted, which Max was grateful for. Of course, having Jefferson exposed as the man behind the drugging of Kate Marsh, made it easy to coax forgiveness out of her family and they looked at her less like a criminal and more like a victim. Which, of course, she was.

"Hey, Max," Kate spoke softly from next to her. "What did you get for number seven?"

Max looked down at the worksheet.

Blank.

"I uh… I haven't gotten there yet, sorry Kate."

"Oh, that's alright. Hey, is everything okay? You seem a little down," Kate probed cautiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Kate took a deep breath, as if to steel herself. "Is it… is it about Chloe?"

Max almost physically grimaced at the mention of her name. She steeled herself as well before responding, "Yeah. I guess."

"I feel horrible for telling you this, but you were screaming her name this morning. You were telling her to stop."

"I was?"

"It was quite scary. I was really worried about you." Kate rested her hand on Max's. "So do you want to talk about it?"

There was a moment of silence.

 _Do I talk to her? I mean, if there's anybody here I can trust here besides Warren, it's Kate. But does she really need to know all of my baggage? I mean, honestly, what are the chances that she'd actually believe me. Who am I to tell her that there was this whole series of catastrophic events and alternate universe scenarios? And then to tell her I went back and made it so that none of it ever happened? Or did it all happen and I'm the only one to remember?_

Max cleared her throat.

"The answer to number seven is Ansel Adams. Born 1902 and died 1984."

Kate withdrew her hand. "Oh. O-okay, thanks, Max." She shifted over to her side of the table.

 _God damn it, now I seem like an asshole. Good going, Max._

Finally the class came to an end and Ms. Rye bid all of the students farewell until next meeting. The afternoon autumn sun cascaded from the heavens into the usually dull classroom through the open windows, causing phones and reflective surfaces alike to create little diamonds of light everywhere.

Max approached Kate solemnly.

"Look, Kate, I'm sorry about earlier. It's not that I don't trust you or anything, I just-"

Kate wrapped her into a hug. "It's okay, Max. You don't have to apologize to me, silly. You've been through a lot what with your best friend getting m-" she paused and relinquished the hug. "Passing away…"

 _Murdered._

Although she had not spoke it, the word still found its way into Max's mind.

Murdered.

Nathan Prescott, Blackwell Academy's star child, _murdered_ Chloe Price.

In cold blood.

The very mention of the word brought up fresh emotions and without warning and before she realized it, fresh tears trickled down Max's face.

"Oh, Max! I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up," Kate hugged her tighter.

Max sniffed, burying her face in Kate's shoulder and returned the hug. It was a great relief that someone around here cared. That someone knew.

"No, it's okay, Kate. I guess I've just been bottling up all of my feelings."

 _And for good reason, my feelings are invalid and useless and only make things worse._

"Why don't you come with me to my room? It's not good for you to be alone right now. Or maybe being alone is what you need and, gosh, I'm just not good at helping people, I'm sorry."

 _She's apologizing to me?_

"No," Max laughed through the tears. "You don't have to be sorry, why are you sorry?"

"I don't know, it's just what I say when I have nothing else to say," she shrugged.

The two of them broke apart.

"So, tea at my place?"

"For sure," Max smiled.

They departed the classroom, now empty, save Ms. Rye, and filling with golden sunset light.

Max dunked her tea bag into the steaming water. She was sitting on the sofa, basking in the dying sunlight.

 _I'm like a little lizard._

…

 _I see why Chloe called me weird._

Kate was sitting next to her, quietly sipping away. Her violin was resting in its stand on the other side of the couch. All of Kate's cute, little drawings were pinned onto a bulletin board across the room.

 _It's nice to be around a happy Kate._

"Kate?"

"Yes, Max?"

"Can I… Can I tell you something?"

 _Oh, God, am I actually doing this?_

"Of course, Max. You can tell me anything. What are friends for?" She smiled warmly, taking another sip of tea.

"Okay…" She took a deep breath and set her teacup down on the nearby coffee table. "This is going to sound really, _really_ , odd, but…"

 _Just say it. You've gotten this far._

"But…?"

"I…"

"Max if you're going to tell me you're gay, I already know."

Max choked on her tea, sending her into a coughing fit.

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry!"

"It's fine, it's fine," Max said between coughs. She recovered and continued, "No, that's not…"

"I don't think it's bad, Max. People love who people love, I'm not going to step in between-"

"Kate!" Max almost shouted, making her jump. "That's not what I was going to say," she laughed nervously.

"Oh… Sorry for assuming then, gosh, this makes me look horrible-"

"I mean, I am, but that's not what I was going to tell you."

"Wait, you are?"

"I… I don't really know, I don't think I care either, _ANYWAYS_ ," Max took yet another deep breath. "I… I can control time, Kate."

Silence.

"You… what?"

Max sighed. "I can control time. I can reverse it, I can speed it up… I can… change it."

Kate chuckled a little. "Max… you-"

"-'re sure you're okay?"

"Ho-"

"-w did you know I was going to say that?"

"Okay, st-"

"-op that, it's freaking me out Max!"

"M-"

"-ax!"

Silence.

Kate stared at Max, squinting at her like she was some immortal being.

"Ch-"

"-eeseburger!"

Kate looked at the ground, shocked.

"Sorry," Max said, smiling a little. "I'll stop now."

"What was _that?_ "

"I told you, I can control time."

"I mean, but… how did you?"

"How did I know what you were going to say? I've been through this experience before and I just remembered what you said, and repeated it to you."

"That's… that's amazing, Max," Kate said, dumbfounded.

"So... you believe me?"

"Anything is possible in God's world, Max," she shrugged. "Maybe your purpose was to do his work."

"Well if that's true, God's a terrible person…" Max mumbled, mostly to herself.

"What?"

"Nothing, sorry."

"H-how long have you been able to do this?"

"For about a month."

"Wait, so why are you telling me this, Max? Tell me everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

Max leaned forward and took a huge swig of her tea.

"Okay."

The two of them sat on the sofa for the remainder of the evening, every once in a while pausing to refill on tea. Kate occasionally asking a question, and Max filling her in with more of an answer than Kate wanted.

Eventually, the light that once streamed through the windows was replaced by moonlight.

"So you… Sacrificed Chloe for Arcadia Bay? For all of us?"

Max nodded.

"That's… unbelievable."

"You don't believe me?"

"No, I do. Even a grade 'A' author couldn't make up a story like that in one sitting. It's unbelievable that you'd sacrifice her for all of us. Apparently in that world everyone was mean to you," Kate said glumly.

"Actually, that's not true. You were really nice to me."

"And in that world… I almost…" Kate breathed.

"Yeah."

"Thank you for stopping me, Max. That means so much, even though I don't remember any of it."

"It's a good thing you don't. You just weren't yourself after the video."

"The video wasn't my fault."

"Not in that world. Jefferson never got busted."

"He didn't?"

"No, I told you that, right?"

"Max, it was a _lot_ to take in."

"Yeah, sorry…" Max took a sip of her tea. "I miss her."

"Chloe?"  
"Yeah."

"She sounds great. A little wild, I guess, but still great."

They sat in silence, Kate still trying to process what she was being told.

"Wait, so if… if Jefferson shot Chloe, how did you sacrifice her to save the Bay?"

"That was before I went back to warn her not to go to the junkyard."

"But then shouldn't you have not ended up in the Dark Room?"

"I… I still don't know about that one."

"And after you got there the second time, Jefferson burned all your photos so you couldn't go back to anywhere else."

"Yeah."

"Sorry, Max, I don't mean to make you relive memories, I'm just trying to wrap my head around all of this."

"I know. I didn't expect you to get it all at once."

The wind howled outside, and Max took another sip of tea, finishing off the cup.

 _She's taking this rather well, I wasn't expecting her to actually believe me._

"So that dream this morning, when you were yelling at Chloe, what was she doing?"

The question caught Max off guard. "Oh. Well, I don't know. I don't really remember. All I remember is that is was really rainy… and there was thunder and lightning… a huge storm too."

"Oh, I see."

 _Why am I lying to her._

Max sighed. "Actually, she was shaking me. She was… she was yelling at me. It's still freaking me out, to be honest."

"What was she saying?"

"She-" Max's voice caught in her throat. "She was asking why I… why I killed her." Fresh tears rolled down her cheek.

"Oh my gosh, Max!" Kate gasped, setting down her teacup and reaching over to wrap up Max in a hug. "That's… harsh."

"Just a little bit," she whimpered. "I just… I can't stop thinking about it. As much as I try."

"Well, I mean, it happened this morning, so."

"No, Kate. I meant about how I… How I killed her."

"You didn't kill her, Max. Nathan did."

"But I could've stopped it, Kate!" Max sobbed freely now. "I could've saved her!"

Kate squeezed her tighter. "Didn't you just go over with me about how this is the right choice and how Chloe would've wanted this? Didn't you just tell me about how it needed to be this way or everyone including myself would be… Dead?"

"But what if I'm wrong, Kate?" Max broke free from her tight embrace. "What if I'm wrong about everything, and I can save her _and_ Arcadia Bay!" She flung her arms in frustration and collapsed into the sofa, defeated, tears painting her face. She put her face in her hands. "I don't know everything, Kate. I thought I could help people. I thought I could be a hero and save people, but all I've done is bring pain and suffering to everyone, including myself. I thought I was finally worth something."

"Oh, Max…" Kate put a hand on her shoulder. "You're worth a lot. You're sweet, and kind, and an _amazing_ photographer and I'm sure you would've won the Everyday Heroes contest if you had entered, and you're a great friend, and-"

It was Max's turn to hug Kate. "Thank you, Kate. Sorry for freaking out on you. I just don't understand why God, if he really is up there, would give _me_ these powers. I've been trying to figure it out since the day I discovered I had them and still I'm not one step closer to finding the truth. I'm starting to think I'll never know. Obviously I'm not supposed to save people, because I saved Chloe and look how that turned out."

"Maybe you didn't save Chloe, but you learned from the experience, didn't you?"

"I guess so."

"Then maybe that was only the beginning. Maybe everything from that week was to teach you how to use your powers and what your limits were."

"When did you become and expert on time traveling superheroes?" Max joked.

"I'm not," Kate laughed. "But you came to me to talk to me, so I'm talking."

"Fair enough," Max sighed, wiping the last of her tears out of her eyes. She pulled out her phone to check the time.

 _1:42 AM… and 4 missed calls from Warren. Damn, I forgot I put my phone on silent. I really am a horrible friend. Sorry, Warren._

"Jeez, I didn't mean to keep you up so late," Max said solemnly.

"It's okay," Kate responded, pausing to let out a yawn. "I always enjoy the company of a good friend. Plus I learned a couple of interesting things about you today," she winked.

"I'd better get going," Max gathered her things and started towards the door. She took a look around Kate's room and was glad that it was now a place of happiness. She paused in the open doorway. "Thank you so much for listening to me rant. It means a lot."

"Of course, you can always come to me to talk if you want. I'll always have tea too," Kate giggled.

"Alright, see you!" she flashed her a smile.

"And Max?"

Max turned to face Kate.

"About your powers, I think if you just wait, it'll come to you eventually," she smiled softly.

"Just like a photo?"

"Just like a photo."

Max smiled again, then turned and entered the dark hallway beyond, letting the heavy door close with a soft click behind her.


	2. Lucid

**Lucid**

Max squinted at the blackboard as Ms. Rye jotted down notes and lectured the class. She was so tired, she could barely keep her head off the desk, and the lengthy lectures about 19th century photographers weren't helping her stay engaged. A sudden gust of air made her shiver.

 _Jesus, it's freezing in here._

Max took a glance through the window.

Dark clouds loomed in the horizon, resembling the crashing of waves on a desolate shore. The trees swayed ominously in the yard outside, the wind was erratic, coming in little breezes or huge gales.

The seat next to her that was normally filled by Kate Marsh was empty, leaving Max to struggle with her sleepiness alone.

Ms. Rye's lecture droned on, causing Max's eyelids to fill with lead.

"...So in the photograph taken by J. B. Neff in the year 1863, you can all see here," Ms. Rye gestured to the photograph being displayed on the projector. "There are six women posed in a very abstract fashion. Some say that-"

The door to the classroom abruptly opened.

In strode a girl with long, blonde hair, a t-shirt with a dainty saying on it, and jeans. For some reason, she looked really familiar. Like, really, _really_ , familiar. Maybe she'd seen her around campus before? Max didn't recall seeing this person in this class before. Maybe she was a new student at Blackwell?

The mystery girl approached Ms. Rye rather timidly and whispered a few things to her.

"Oh, no, of course not dear, that's not a problem at all. I do hope you feel better," Ms. Rye attempted to say quietly.

The girl nodded to her and turned to face the class.

Max's heart dropped and soared at the same time.

The girl was Chloe Price.

Chloe caught Max staring at her and made a strange face. It was almost like she didn't know she was supposed to be… dead.

 _What the hell is going on._

Chloe casually strode over to Max and took the seat that normally belonged to Kate.

"Dude, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost or some shiz," Chloe whispered after unpacking her class materials.

"U-uh.. mhm…" Max managed, attempting - and failing - to make eye contact.

 _What the fuck is going on. This has to be a dream, this_ has _to be a dream. There's no way._

"Hey," Chloe nudged Max's elbow. "Are you alright? You're normally shy, but never around me. What's wrong?"

"I-"

"Girls, is this something you want to share with the rest of the class? If not, please wait until later."

Chloe awkwardly returned her attention to her notebook.

Max sat there in silence, staring intently at the table in front of her like she was decrypting a hidden message within the scarred oak.

 _Okay, so I'm definitely dreaming. Chloe is gone… but this feels so real. This feels like that other dream. This is different. What's going on?_

The classroom was filled with the loud sound of bells ringing and alarms going off. Classmates yelped in surprise and Ms. Rye dropped her clipboard and pointing stick.

"Oh, dear! Please, everyone out in a single file line, no pushing, no shoving!" Ms. Rye called, attempting to calm everyone.

Max overheard Victoria murmuring to herself as she walked past, "Oh. My. God. This was _so_ not scheduled. I swear if the rain ruins my cashmere there's going to be a _serious_ problem."

 _Why is Victoria acting like her old self again?_

"Max?" Chloe tugged on Max's arm. "Are you coming? Apparently there's a fire? Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. Let's go," Max stammered, quickly getting up and following Chloe out of the room.

Upon opening the door to leave the room, Max knew something was terribly wrong. Instead of the usual school hallway, she was met with one of the local ice cream parlors that she and Chloe used to visit frequently.

 _Oh no. This isn't right._

She spotted Chloe sitting in a booth, texting with her right hand and licking - or attempting to lick - vanilla ice cream off of a cone in her left. Her blue hair, beanie, and tattoos had returned, along with that I'm-Gonna-Fuck-Everybody-Up aura. She set the phone down and looked up, staring at Max intently.

Max's phone buzzed.

She took it out and read the new message.

 _ **Chloe - 4:32 PM, 11/13/15**_

 _why r u just standing there all by urself? come join me weirdo!_

 _ **Me - 4:32 PM, 11/13/15**_

 _Sorry, I guess I just got distracted :c_

 _ **Chloe - 4:32 PM, 11/13/15**_

 _ill say so. youve been standing there for like 3 minutes. ive been trying to pretend i don't know you hahah and are you ever gonna stop with the emojis_

 _no but srsly you should come over here its really weird for u to just stand in the door way. like 3 people have already walked around u_

Max put her phone in her back pocket and strode over to the booth Chloe was occupying. She took a seat across from the blue haired girl and dared make eye contact with the person she knew to be dead.

"Yooo girl, you're acting hella weird, you know that?" Chloe whispered across the table, setting down her ice cream and phone. "Is everything alright? Did you… did you have another time venture?"

"You know about my… powers?"

"Well of course, partner in time," she winked. "But be real with me dude, what's going on?"

"I… I don't really know," Max stammered, glancing at the table. "This is just… all messed up, Chloe."

Chloe looked suddenly worried.

"What's wrong? Please tell me."

"I don't know! If I did, I would tell you, I promise," Max muttered exasperatedly, leaning forward and resting her head on the probably filthy surface.

"Max, are you alright?"

The familiar voice startled her, causing her to look up. The quaint ice cream parlor that she was just in was gone, replaced by a lush hillside. Sitting next to her was Warren Graham, with a distraught look on his face.

"Max?"

"What?" She sprang up in a panic. "Where am I?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy now," Warren comforted, standing up and putting a hand on her shoulder. "We're in the hills by Blackwell, remember? You invited me up here? You had something important to tell me and then you just… fell over."

"What?"

"I caught you!" He defended.

"No, I mean, why did I fall over?"

"And what makes you think I would know the answer to that question?" He laughed a bit before returning to his worried demeanor. "But seriously, Max, is everything okay?"

"I-I don't know!" Max shouted, mostly at the world around her and not at Warren, however the poor boy still jumped in fright. "I've been… I've been…"

"You've been…"

"I don't know." Max collapsed into a sitting position on the ground and put her head in her hands.

 _What the fuck is going on? One second I was in class with Chloe, then I was in an ice cream shop with Chloe, and now I'm with Warren on the hillside. Something weird is going on, for sure._

"Look, we better get you somewhere you can lie down or something," Warren said softly. "It doesn't seem like you're feeling too well."

"I…" Max wanted to argue, but she didn't find the strength. Instead, she followed Warren to his car.

She took her time viewing her surroundings as she walked. The trees were once again just showing signs of autumn, and there was a slight chill in the breeze. Yet, something was different about this Arcadia Bay. The normal, almost creepy aura was gone, and with it was an overwhelming sense of tranquility.

 _This is different._

 _Am I in another time?_

The car ride was… awkward. Normally Max would have no problem being around Warren, but something was off about the situation. For one, she had no idea really what was going on, and two, this could be a completely different Warren.

"Hey Warren?"

"Mhm?" he mumbled, not taking his eyes off the road.

"What's… what's happened in the past couple of weeks?"

He glanced at her like she was crazy.

"Uh… do you not remember?"

"No, I do, but I just want to talk about it."

"Well… okay… um… I went to the grocery store… we went to a movie…"

"And something about a… huge tornado, right?"

"Max, that was like a year ago." Warren looked increasingly worried.

"And what happened?"

"Well, what do you mean? Weren't you there?"

"I-"

"Max, are you _sure_ you're okay? You've been acting weird all day."

The route they were taking was not the route back to Blackwell, instead is was a route she knew all too well.

"Where are we going?"

"To your house…?"

"What? What about Blackwell?"

"Max you don't go to Blackwell anymore…"

"I got expelled?" She asked incredulously.  
"No, you graduated!" he laughed out loud. "Max you're acting _super duper_ weird right now. You're starting to scare me."

Max's phone vibrated. She pulled it out and checked the message.

 _ **Love 3 - 2:12 PM, 11/13/16**_

 _maxxx are you okay? warren txted me saying you passed out!_

 _are you messing with time again?_

"I just got a text from someone named 'Love' heart emoticon. That's weird."

"Why is that weird?"

"Because, I-" it hit her. "Oh."

 _No way. Is this…_

 _ **Me - 2:14 PM, 11/13/16**_

 _Chloe?_

 _ **Love 3 - 2:14 PM, 11/13/16**_

 _well duh. is everyting alright? warren sounded p worried in his message_

 _ **Me - 2:14 PM, 11/13/16**_

 _yeah im ok. just been a weird day._

Max thought to herself,

 _Okay, so… Chloe is… my girlfriend or something?_

 _ **Love 3 - 2:15 PM, 11/13/16**_

 _im sry to hear that hun. tell me all about it when u get back. g2g for now, david needs my help. xoxo see u soon_

Max set the phone down, smiling.

 _Welp, there's NOTHING platonic about that._

 _ **Me - 2:15 PM, 11/13/16**_

 _byees c:_

 _Okay, so I guess I'm dating Chloe Price. That's awesome, but it doesn't answer any of my questions, such as: what the fuck is going on._

 _Wait… 11/13/16… I remember that date! That's the same day I was in the ice cream shop… Am I… am I seeing the future? That's impossible, Chloe's… dead. Maybe this is… an alternate future? Where everyone is okay!_

 _I KNEW IT._

"Wait, so what _did_ happen to that tornado?"

"Well, it died like, right off our coast. All of the meteorologists were saying that it was going to plow through Arcadia Bay, but when it was only about half a mile from us, it… just ended. Like nothing had ever happened. Shit was insane, Max, how do you not remember that?"

"Oh, no, I do," she faked innocence. "I was just… recapping…"

He gave her a weird look and they were silent for the rest of the ride.

The Warren and Max duo pulled up in front of the Price-Madsen household.

"Destination reached," Warren said in a horrible impersonation of a GPS unit.

"Thanks, Warren," Max spoke, smiling at him and exiting the car. "Sorry about being so weird, I'll talk to you later!"

He chuckled. "We'll see, I know you're terrible at keeping up with talking to me," he stuck his tongue out.

"Hey, I promise this time," she assured him.

"Whatever you say, m'lady. I do hope you'll tell me what you were going to tell me," he grinned, starting to drive off.

"If I even figure out what that was…" she murmured.

He gave her a quizzical look, and stopped the car.

"What?"

"Oh, just get out of here, Graham," she stuck her tongue out at him in turn.

He laughed and waved goodbye.

She returned the wave and turned to face the familiar house as the sound of Warren's car faded into the distance.

This was the house that she spent so many days at when she was younger with her best friend, who now, coincidentally, was her girlfriend.

 _Me and Chloe… that's… I mean, I guess it's-_

"Max!"

Max was tackled into a hug. The light blue hair she saw in the corner of her eye was all too familiar.

"Chloe!" she hugged back.

They laughed together, and for Max it felt like forever since anything like this had ever happened. She relished it, and Chloe noticed that the hug was lasting for a seemingly long time.

"Max? You can let go now," she joked. "I mean, you don't _have_ to. I love your hugs." She laughed again.

 _God, that laugh. I forgot how much I missed that god damn laugh, and this one's not even fake. This is real. She's genuinely happy._

"Oh my god, Chloe, you have no idea how nice it is to see you again."

"You saw me this morning, weirdo," she joked, breaking the hug apart. "So is everything okay? You passed out and knowing you that's kind of a big deal."

"I-"

"Chloe!" David called from inside. "A little help!"

"Oh, shit, I forgot," Chloe muttered, jogging back into the house.

Max followed and was met with David struggling to carry a great, wooden bedframe up the stairs. Chloe scrambled up the stairs and grabbed one of the protruding ledges, taking some of the weight off of David.

"Man," he huffed, out of breath. "You came just in time, this thing was goin' down for sure. Thanks Chloe."

"Sure thing, David," she gritted her teeth under the weight. "Any place in particular you want this?"

"Back corner of my room, I'll just set it up later." He noticed Max standing in the doorway, staring in awe. "Oh Hey, Max. You alright? Chloe said something about you when she bolted."

"I'm alright," Max grinned.

 _So David is alright too, that's good. It looks like Chloe doesn't hate him anymore either… why is that?_

"You sure you're okay?" David asked, slowly but surely making his way up the stairs. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Max laughed. "That's the second time today someone's said that to me."

"Sounds like you're having one of those days," he remarked.

"Tell me about it…" She trailed off, entering the house, making sure to close the door behind her.

Chloe and David eventually got the bed-frame moved into the main bedroom.

"Thank you for your help, Chloe," David smiled warmly. "That thing would'a been quite a bitch all by myself."

Chloe stretched. "It was still a bitch," she grinned.

"Alright, alright, maybe a small chihuahua." They shared a laugh at the horrible pun.

While Chloe and David talked, Max had wandered to the rest of the upstairs. The normal, 'WRONG WAY' sign that usually hung on the door to Chloe's room was replaced with a small whiteboard, like the ones that were outside all of the dorms at Blackwell. On it, scribbled in dying dry-erase markers, _Chloe and Max's room._

 _That's adorable._

She felt a pair of arms, one tattooed intricately, wrap around her from behind.

"Whatcha starin' at?" Chloe questioned.

"O-oh, nothing. Just the door," Max tried to laugh it off.

"Warren was right, you _are_ acting hella weird. Is everything alright?" She asked her, walking to the door, pushing it open and entering the room.

"I'm alright, I swear," Max said, following suit.

The inside of the room was nothing like Max remembered. Instead of being littered with empty alcohol containers, cigarettes, and other, various objects usually associated with rebel teenagers, it was filled with a bed sporting a bed frame similar to the one that was now sitting in the corner of David's room, two desks on either side of the bedroom, and a bunch of Max's stuff combined with Chloe's.

"Do I… live here?"

Chloe looked at her like she had just fallen from space.

"Yes…? Max, you really gotta be honest with me, what's going on?" Chloe pressed, approaching her and taking both of her hands in her own.

"I… Okay," Max stared at the floor. "This is going to sound really, _really_ weird, but-"

"Did you have a time venture and everything is different than it was before?" Chloe raised an eyebrow before gasping dramatically. "Did you go back in time to _seduce_ me and now we're boning?" She feigned incredulousness.

" _Boning?"_ Max paused before deciding that the strange word choice wasn't worth mentioning. "No, It's just…"

"It's just…"

"I honestly have no clue, Chloe."

"Hm… So it wasn't a time venture?"

"Well, I don't know!"

Max walked over and plopped herself onto the bed that she had no familiarity with.

"Look," Max began. "All I know is that this morning I was in class at Blackwell, and then we were at an ice cream shop, and then I was with Warren, and now I'm with you and… and it's just all fucked up and I have no clue what's going on." There were tears brimming her eyes.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down!" Chloe quickly wrapped her in a tight hug. "Start from the beginning, hun."

"I just told you all I know! This morning I was in class and-"

"And then you were in an ice cream shop…?"

"With you!"

"With… me… okay? I just don't see why that's-"

"No, I know it's not important I just… I don't know what's going on Chloe and there's nobody I can ask for help. It's just… I don't think this is real."

"What are you talking about?" Chloe asked, shocked. "Max, this is real. _I_ am real. I promise you that."

"But is it? I've been teleporting around all day and I'm starting to have my doubts about-"

Chloe took Max's face in her hands and passionately kissed her. The shorter girl's heart skipped a beat or two and a couple seconds passed before Chloe broke off the kiss.

"Max, _that_ was real. This is real. I'm real too, see?" She poked herself in the stomach with Max's hand to demonstrate. "Real, real, real."

Max was still in shock from the kiss.

"I… I believe you, I really do. Or at least I want to, but Chloe… I remember… I remember another world. I remember another time or universe or _something_. The storm that Warren said disappeared off our coast, it was going to destroy this town and everyone in it if I didn't… if I didn't…" Max stared into those cobalt eyes she knew all too well.

Chloe said nothing and hugged her yet again.

"You can tell me, I can take it."

"If I killed you," she said in a shaky voice.

 _This feels so real, yet at the same time I know something's not right. Or at least, something isn't real. At this point, I don't know what the hell to believe._

Max was suddenly hit with a massive headache.

"Fuck!" she yelped before falling to her knees, head in her hands.

"Max!" Chloe yelled. "Max are you okay? What's wrong?"

Max couldn't speak, her mind felt like it was melting. Wooden floor disappeared in a blur and the sounds of Chloe calling her name were drowned out by a high pitched ringing.

"Max!" A clear voice shouted.

Max felt herself being shaken. She cautiously opened her eyes to find she was staring up into the face of Kate Marsh… along with the rest of the girls living in the girls' dorms.

"...Kate?"

Kate's worried expression was replaced by a huge grin.

"Dana! She's awake!" a random voice called.

"Should I still call someone?"

"I don't know, just hold the phone."

"Oh my gosh, you're okay! We were about to call an ambulance or get help or something!" Kate spoke, drawing Max's attention back to her.

Max noticed that Kate was holding her steady on the floor beside her bed in her dorm at Blackwell Academy, and some familiar faces were standing by the door.

"What's going on…?" Max asked, still dazed from the sudden headache. "Where's Chloe?"

"Chloe?" Kate looked taken aback. "Max, Chloe's-"

"Dead?"

Kate looked away and nodded. "Are you alright?"

"I just… I had a weird dream."

"When we came in, you were on the floor screaming!"

Max glanced at the window, noticing it was still dark outside.

"What time is it?"

"Like, three in the morning," Brooke snipped. "You woke the entire building up."

"I-I'm sorry," Max stammered, attempting to get up only to be met with another sharp pain in her head and falling back into Kate's arms. "K-Kate, my head really hurts."

Kate looked around to the other girls, "I've got this."

The girls filed out, rubbing their eyes and dragging their feet, mumbling about having to get up early the next day.

Kate returned her gaze to Max. "Max… is there something you're not telling me? Does it… does it have to do with your… _abilities?"_

Max carefully stood up, using Kate as support.

"I honestly have no fucking clue, nothing like this has ever happened before."

"What happened?"

"I think… I think I visited another world," Max thought out loud. "It was a world where… Chloe was alive. And Arcadia Bay was also alive. Kate, it was exactly what I was talking about, what if there's a reality where Chloe _and_ Arcadia Bay get to see another day? _Together."_

"Do you… do you really think you visited another world?" Kate questioned, obviously skeptical. "Look Max, I'm all for believing you, but even that seems… unlikely."

"Kate, it felt so real. It was like… well, it was like this. It was peaceful, in a way," Max recounted her memories of the past couple of hours.

"Then what was all that screaming?"

"I… I don't know. I had a massive headache when I…" Max's voice cracked. "I was talking to Chloe. Kate, she felt so _real._ It was like I'd never lost her and now… now I've lost her again!"

"Okay, okay, shhh," Kate soothed, taking her in a hug. "Look, why don't we just try to get some sleep and we can talk about it in the morning?" She broke the hug.

Max didn't even bother to notice the huge bags under Kate's eyes until she looked up from the ground.

"Oh, shit, I forgot. I'm so sorry for waking you up. For waking everyone up," she sniffled.

"It wasn't your fault," she sighed, "Now please try to sleep, at least a little bit. For me?"

The last thing Max wanted to do was shut her eyes to this world out of fear it would disappear just like the last one had.

"Okay," she agreed reluctantly.

The moonlight shone through the window as Max nestled into bed, Kate standing beside her.

"Do you need anything?" Kate asked, tired yet friendly.

Max shook her head and yawned.

Kate started towards the door.

"Wait."

"Yes?"

"Could you… could you stay with me? At least until I fall asleep?"

Kate paused.

"I mean, you don't have to. You know what, never mind, it was stup-"

"Of course I can."

Max was scared. She was scared that whatever worlds had sucked her up would do it again, and both times Kate was the one to bring her back. Hopefully, if she slipped again into the unknown, Kate would be right there.

Kate took a seat on the bed, resting a hand on Max's and smiling.

"Go to sleep now, you look like you need it," she said softly.

" _I_ look like I need it?" Max giggled.

"Meh, you're the one that was screaming on the floor about five minutes ago."

"I guess you're right," she sighed, taking comfort in the presence of a good friend. Soon, her eyelids grew heavy and the moonlit silhouette of Kate Marsh faded into the silvery background of her room.

 _Am I living in two different realities at the same time? I've seen some pretty crazy shit, but this is a totally new level. This is trippier than anything else I've ever done. But wait, if there's another reality where everyone's alive, that must mean that there's a way to make that reality my reality. But then… what would happen to this one? Both of them feel so… real._

Max's thoughts drifted into nothingness as she closed her eyes completely, finally succumbing to the abyss of slumber.


End file.
